by Ryk Brown
“Is that it?” Cameron wondered, looking at the screen. “That first jump is cutting it a bit close, isn’t it?”
“The insertion jump will only be a few light minutes, so it shouldn’t be a problem,” Nathan insisted.
“What does Aurora say?” Cameron asked.
“The probability of successfully completing the initial insertion jump is seventy-four percent,” Aurora reported.
“Why does she sound like me?” Cameron wondered.
“Nathan says it makes her sound smart,” Jessica told her.
“Sounds like something he’d say,” Cameron replied.
“You’re okay with it?” Jessica asked.
“The jump, or the AI sounding like me?”
“It doesn’t sound like you,” Nathan insisted. “It just has a similar accent.”
“The jump,” Jessica replied, laughing to herself over Nathan’s defensive reaction.
“If the Nighthawks can take out the port and starboard shields of those two ships, then we have a pretty good chance of crippling them on the first pass; and with that many battleships around, the first pass is the only one we’re going to be able to linger on for more than a few seconds.”
“Well, I could use you on tactical again,” Jessica told her.
“Same as last time?” Cameron asked. “I’ll take port, you take starboard?”
“Sounds good.”
“Captain, all Nighthawks have jumped away,” Kaylah reported from the sensor station.
“Very well,” Nathan replied. “Josh, take us out of orbit, and put us on course for the rally point.”
“Aye, sir,” Josh replied. “Taking us out of orbit.”
“Jump us to the rally point when ready, Loki.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Just out of curiosity,” Cameron said, “how many jumps did it take you to get back?”
“One,” Jessica said with a smile. “Pretty cool, huh?”
* * *
“Multiple contacts astern,” Sergeant Nama reported from his station at the back of the Falcon’s cockpit. “Ten Nighthawks.”
“Falcon, Razor One,” Commander Prechitt called over comms. “Anyone see a Dusahn battle group around here?”
“We’ve been trying to play peek-a-boo with them for the last four hours, but they don’t seem interested,” Lieutenant Teison replied.
“How rude. Any change?”
“None,” the lieutenant replied. “They’re pretty boring. They do have BARCAPs, though. They maintain a one-light-hour spherical perimeter, but their patrol patterns and timings are fairly regular. Either they are confident no one is watching, or they feel so damned superior that they don’t care.”
“I’m guessing the latter,” Commander Prechitt replied. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” the lieutenant replied. “Tell them we said ‘hi’.”
“Will do,” the commander promised. “Okay, Razors, move to your attack jump positions and stand by.”
* * *
“Jump complete,” Loki reported as the jump flash subsided.
“Multiple contacts,” Kaylah stated calmly. “Falcon and ten Nighthawks. The Nighthawks are spreading out into their jump positions. No other contacts.”
“Threat board is clear,” Jessica confirmed. “We’re receiving the latest recon intel from the Falcon, now.”
Nathan stood next to the comms station, watching the main view screen as the images from the Falcon’s last recon scan came in.
“No apparent change in formation,” Jessica reported.
“Are you ready?” Nathan asked Naralena quietly.
“Just finished,” she answered, glancing up at him.
“Nighthawks are in position and are beginning their deceleration” Kaylah reported.
“Two minutes to attack jump,” Loki announced.
Nathan took a deep breath. “Set general quarters,” he instructed Naralena before turning and heading for his command chair.
Cameron watched him walk by without a word and then exchanged a concerned glance with Jessica.
“This should be interesting,” Jessica muttered under her breath.
“Everything ready on tactical?” Nathan asked as he took his seat.
“Forward torpedo tubes are fully charged and ready,” Jessica reported. “Plasma cannons and rail guns are online and pre-aimed, and our broadside plasma cannons are also ready.”
“Aurora has control of all turrets and broadsides, and is aware of the target order,” Cameron reported. “Since she will see Josh’s flight inputs as they happen, she should be able to compensate for changes in the ship’s attitude, in relation to the targets, much faster than we could.”
“Which means it’s all up to you, Josh,” Nathan said.
“There’s something seriously wrong with that phrase,” Josh admitted.
“Please don’t do anything too crazy,” Cameron begged.
“I make no promises,” Josh replied, holding up one hand.
“One minute,” Loki warned.
“All decks report general quarters,” Naralena announced. “Lieutenant Anders is in combat, and the chief of the boat is in damage control.”
“Very well.”
“One minute,” Loki warned.
“Nighthawks should jump in thirty seconds,” Cameron added.
Nathan turned his command chair slowly around, stopping once he faced aft, noticing the concerned looks on the faces of Cameron and Jessica. “This will work,” he assured them.
“We didn’t say anything,” Cameron replied.
“You didn’t have to.”
* * *
“A flat-V,” Commander Prechitt noted as he studied the intel transmitted from the Falcon. “About the least effective fleet combat formation possible.”
“Is that a problem?” Talisha asked over comms.
“Just an observation,” the commander replied. “Its only real value is that it allows all ships to fire forward without hitting one another, but you could accomplish the same thing with a five-ship box formation, and provide better protection for one another.”
“Then, why are they using it?” Talisha wondered. “Surely they are aware of its limitations.”
“Orbital bombardment,” Ensign Topetti suggested from Razor Two. “They’re planning to jump straight into orbit, spread out a bit, and bombard Rakuen.”
“That’s a pretty good guess, Nikki,” Commander Prechitt agreed. “Scary, but good.”
“Then, it will be our pleasure to stop them,” Ensign Tellor said from Razor Four.
“We are now at the proper speed to pass through the target’s shields,” the Nighthawk’s AI announced. “Assuming they are the same type of shields used by the battleship that Mister Hayes and Mister Sheehan helped defeat.”
Commander Prechitt glanced at his mission clock. “Such a positive attitude,” the commander chuckled. “Are you ready, Max?”
“I assume that is a rhetorical question,” Max responded.
Commander Prechitt grinned. “You’re starting to grow on me, buddy.” He glanced back over his left shoulder, spotting his wingman. “Stay tight, Nikki. And remember, just fly the ship, and let your AI handle the guns.”
“Got it,” Nikki replied.
“Max, you have firing authorization for the designated targets.”
“Acknowledged,” Max replied.
“Here we go,” the commander said, pressing his jump button as the mission clock reached zero.
The solid canopy and bulkheads of his Nighthawk grayed out momentarily as the ship jumped forward. There was a slight bump, as if they had hit something small, then the canopy and bulkhead came back to life.
“Firing all turrets,” Max reported as the exterior images returned. Short, staccato bolts of red-orange can
non fire streaked over the commander’s head as the starboard side of the number three Dusahn battleship passed over his head, a mere twenty-eight meters away. His cannon fire slammed into shield emitters all over the battleship’s starboard side, destroying them with each impact. It was a marvel to behold as Max guided the two turrets with speed and precision, firing a single shot into each emitter as they slowly traversed the side of the enemy warship.
Commander Prechitt paid careful attention to his flight displays, having chosen to fly the ship manually in case the transition through the battleship’s shields caused any problems with its auto-flight systems.
As Max continued to fire, the commander glanced forward just in time to see one of the ship’s point-defense cannons spinning around toward him. “We gotta go, Max!”
“Five seconds,” Max replied.
The commander watched as the point-defense turret came quickly around and took aim at him. “Oh, shit,” he exclaimed as it opened fire.
“Four…”
His entire canopy flashed yellow-orange as incoming fire slammed into his forward shields.
“Three…”
The commander glanced at his shield status display. His forward shields were already down to fifty percent and dropping fast.
“Two…”
Their shields were now down to twenty percent.
“One……”
The commander slid his finger to the jump button on his flight control stick as his shield strength indicator neared zero.
“Target’s starboard shields are down,” Max reported calmly.
Commander Prechitt had already pressed the jump button by the time his AI had said shields.
“Holy crap!” Talisha exclaimed as she skimmed the port side of battleship number five, while inverted, from a distance of only twenty-five meters. Red-orange bolts, coming from the two topside turrets on the aft section of her Nighthawk, lit up her cockpit as they passed overhead from left to right and along her right side. Sparks flew as emitters along the battleship’s hull exploded, sending small bits of debris flying out in all directions.
Leta systematically took out every emitter within range of the Nighthawk as they skimmed along the enemy warship’s port side for nearly a full ten seconds.
The interior of the ship flashed a bright yellow-orange as nearby point-defense cannons opened fire on them.
On the opposite side of the warship, Razor Four was firing away in the same manner, taking out as many sets of shield emitters as possible before their own shields were overwhelmed by incoming energy weapons fire.
“Target’s port shields are down,” Leta reported.
Talisha did not hesitate to push the jump button. “That was insane!” she exclaimed once they were safe again.
“Can you believe that shit!” Ensign Tellor hollered over comms.
“Are you okay, Kish?” Talisha asked, checking over her own systems.
“My port and forward shields are down to about three percent but, other than that, I’m good,” Kishor replied. “Hell of a rush, though!”
“You can say that again,” Talisha agreed. “Let’s just hope we don’t have to do it twice.”
“Nighthawks have jumped,” Kaylah reported from the Aurora’s sensor station.
“Ten seconds to attack jump-point,” Loki announced.
“Captain?” the Aurora’s AI called, “I will require your authorization to fire the weapons assigned to me.”
“You are authorized, Aurora,” Nathan replied.
“Firing authorization acknowledged.”
A million thoughts ran through Nathan’s head at that moment. Seven warships, each of them able to destroy them—five of them with ease—and he had just handed control of three-quarters of his ship’s weapons to an untested AI. One that, his chief of security argued, could be a digital covert operative for the very enemy he was about to face.
“Three…” Loki began counting down.
“All shields at full power,” Nathan ordered.
“Two…”
“Shields at full power,” Jessica replied.
“One…”
Nathan slid open the tiny panel on his command chair’s left armrest and flipped the hidden rocker switch, then hovered his forefinger over the flashing red button next to it.
“Jumping.”
Nathan closed his eyes temporarily as the jump flash washed over the bridge.
“Holy crap,” Josh exclaimed, his eyes wide.
On the Aurora’s semi-spherical main view screen, the aft end of two Dusahn battleships appeared only a few hundred meters away, closing fast. To make matters worse, the space between them, through which the Aurora intended to pass, seemed awfully narrow. There was debris floating about from the damage the Nighthawks had just inflicted, and the gunships that had escorted the battle group were quickly turning away from the fleet in order to make room to defend them.
Nathan glanced upward as they came out of the jump, just as the Aurora’s AI opened fire, with the ship’s midship rail gun and plasma cannons, on the missile frigate sliding past them overhead. At the same time, their forward topside plasma turrets also opened fire, targeting the aft-most sections of the two battleships ahead, and to either side, of their course of travel.
Josh immediately twisted his flight control stick slightly right, causing the ship to yaw to starboard, adding a touch of downward pitch to bring their torpedo tubes onto the main engines of the battleship to their right. As programmed, a red targeting reticle, on the main view screen, indicated where the torpedoes would land if fired. The reticle quickly moved to the battleship’s port engine and changed to green. Josh pressed the firing trigger, sending four groups of triple shots of plasma torpedoes streaking toward the target.
“Aurora is firing on the assigned targets,” Jessica reported, sounding almost surprised.
Nathan watched in silent fascination as his ship unleashed a hailstorm of firepower on the unprotected warships. Before the first round of plasma torpedoes could reach their target, his helmsman was already swinging their nose onto the battleship to port, while unleashing additional rounds of torpedoes as the Aurora yawed back to port.
Nathan watched in awe as his ship’s plasma torpedoes slammed into the starboard battleship’s port engine, and then walked up the port side of its hull, tearing it open with each impact. The firing paused for a moment and then continued again, this time walking down the starboard side of the port battleship, tearing it apart, as well, finally landing on the second ship’s starboard engine.
“Multiple shields are down on every battleship!” Kaylah exclaimed. “The first frigate is coming apart.”
“Retargeting midship guns to second frigate,” Aurora announced.
“Battleships three and five have both lost one of their main engines,” Kaylah added.
“Jesus, she’s jumping from target to target so quickly, I can hardly keep track of it,” Cameron exclaimed in disbelief.
“I didn’t know our guns could move that fast,” Jessica added in amazement.
“Watch this,” Josh said to Loki with a wink.
Secondary explosions rocked the aft end of the two battleships, on the starboard side of the Dusahn battle group, as the Aurora translated downward. With its nose still pointed forty-five degrees to port, as soon as the ship descended below the bottom of the battleship to port, it gained a clear line of fire on the dreadnought, and opened fire with its plasma torpedoes on it, as well.
The Aurora’s AI adjusted its guns to compensate for the Aurora’s change in position in relation to the enemy warship’s, making certain that every shot fired found their intended targets.
“Single main engines down on targets three, five, and one!” Kaylah announced with surprise.
“Nice,” Loki congratulated.
Ten seconds after they had jumped
in, the Aurora’s forward shields lit up as incoming fire from five different battleships, as well as half a dozen gunships, impacted every shield around the forward half of the ship.
“Jesus,” Nathan exclaimed as the Aurora’s bridge flashed repeatedly, and the ship shook from each impact.
“Shields are falling fast!” Cameron warned.
Josh quickly translated back up as he brought the Aurora’s nose back onto its course.
His finger no longer hovering over the flashing red button, Nathan held onto the arms of his command chair with both hands as the Aurora’s nose passed the aft end of the battleship to starboard.
“Multiple hull breaches on targets three and five!” Kaylah continued, not missing a beat.
“Thirty seconds to jump point,” Loki announced.
“Shields down to fifty percent!” Cameron added.
“Target three has lost one of their reactors,” Kaylah added. “They’re jettisoning its core!”
“Track that core!” Nathan ordered.
“Our shields aren’t going to last!” Cameron warned.
“We’re past the halfway point!” Nathan replied. “Hold your course and jump as planned!”
“Broadside cannons coming onto target five!” Jessica announced, her finger on the firing button for all four of their starboard mark three plasma cannons.
“Christ,” Nathan exclaimed, “they’re not going down without a fight, that’s for sure!”
“Firing starboard broadsides!” Jessica announced.
As the Aurora overtook the target, all four starboard broadside plasma cannons opened fire on the stern port side of the Dusahn battleship. At less than one hundred meters away, each shot found its target a split second after leaving its barrel. One by one, the massive bursts of plasma energy slammed into the already-damaged hull of the warship, three times the size of the Aurora, tearing it open from stern to bow. Massive pieces of the doomed vessel broke off, spinning wildly, propelled by secondary explosions from under the hull. Debris slammed into the aft end of the Aurora’s starboard shields, bouncing off harmlessly.
“Target five is coming apart!” Kaylah announced.
“Re-targeting all starboard guns to target three,” Aurora announced.